1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for mounting a trolling motor to the bow of a boat and, more particularly, to a breakaway mount for a trolling motor that positions the motor to transmit thrust to the boat under normal operating conditions and permits angular displacement of the motor from the normal operating position in any direction in response to impact of the motor with submerged objects.
2. Description of Related Art
Trolling motors for fishing boats, especially electric trolling motors, have become an extremely popular accessory for both competitive anglers and casual hobbyists. Due to their lightweight design and quiet operation such motors permit anglers to access remote and shallow spots, such as near shorelines. Remote steering systems provide a high degree of maneuverability without distracting the user's attention from fishing. However, trolling motors have long been plagued by their vulnerability to impact with submerged objects such as tree stumps, roots, rocks and the like. Such impacts can cause permanent damage to the trolling motor, the mounting structure, the boat itself, or to all three.
A number of improvements have been proposed to enhance the ruggedness and resistance of trolling motors to impact with submerged objects. These improvements have involved modifications in the design of both trolling motors themselves and the mounting arrangements used to suspend the motors from the bow of a fishing boat. One such improvement involves the use of a flexible suspension tube between the boat mount and the underwater drive unit. When the drive unit contacts a submerged object the tube flexes elastically to avoid permanent damage. This flexure is generally limited by the size and material used in constructing the tube. While effective at preventing damage from relatively minor impacts, however, the use of a flexible tube alone does not avoid damage from more serious impacts.
A number of other improvements aim at providing a "breakaway mount" that allows the entire trolling motor assembly to swing or pivot upon impact with a submerged object. Known breakaway mounts for trolling motors generally include a bracket assembly that is bolted to the bow of a boat. In one known breakaway mount a clamp is pivotally mounted to the bracket assembly and a pair of nested channel members cooperate with the clamp to hold the motor in a vertical operating position. The channel members can slide with respect to one another to allow pivotal movement of the clamp and trolling motor upon impact with a submerged object. The force required to cause the sliding movement of the channel members may be adjustable. In another known design, a similar bracket assembly is bolted to the boat and supports a vertical bearing plate mounted on an array of generally horizontal compression springs. The compression springs surround alignment bolts and cooperate with the bolts to hold the bearing plate in its normal vertical operating position, while permitting some shock absorbing movement of the plate. A trolling motor tube is clamped to the plate and may move angularly by compression of the springs. A mount of the latter type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,233 issued on Nov. 26, 1985 to Klammer et at. and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
While such mounts provide some degree of protection, they are generally only responsive to forces oriented in their direction of pivot (i.e. front to back), or within a fairly narrow range on either side of that direction, wherein the force component in the direction of pivot is sufficient to cause the sliding movement or spring compression. However, because the trolling motor may be steered well beyond the range of operation of the mount, such as during lateral or turning maneuvers, impacts are possible that will not cause the mount to breakaway, thereby resulting in possible damage to the motor, the mounting assembly and the boat. Moreover, even where adjustable sliding breakaway mounts pivot as designed, they must be manually reset to their normal operating position and may require the user to reset the breakaway force by turning a threaded bolt, further distracting the angler from fishing.
The present invention is directed to overcoming or minimizing the drawbacks of existing trolling motor breakaway mounts. In particular, the invention is directed to a breakaway mount for a trolling motor that biases or urges the motor into its normal operating position, but that allows angular displacement of the motor in response to impact with a submerged obstruction in any direction, that is omni-directionally. In addition, the invention provides a breakaway mount that automatically returns the motor to its normal operating position without requiting intervention from the user or adjustment of the breakaway force.